Childcare ‘is like a second mortgage bill’
CHILDCARE costs have been compared to paying a ‘second mortgage’ after a report showed they have risen again.
Full-day childcare increased by an average of €3.76 or 2.2% a week compared to last year, bringing full-time care costs to €177.92.
The average weekly part-time care bill is €101.82, an increase of 3.3% on last year.
Speaking during leaders’ questions in the Dáil yesterday, Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said childcare costs are a massive issue with social and economic impacts.
‘For many families, the cost of providing childcare amounts to paying a second mortgage every month and for some families it makes more sense for a parent to stay at home and opt out of the workforce due to the scandalous costs involved,’ he said. ‘That is not right.’
In response, Tánaiste Simon Coveney accepted that ‘radical change’ was needed in the sector – but said that that was ‘exactly what was happening’.
The figures were revealed in the Early Years Profile Report for 2017/2018, launched yesterday by Minister for Children Katherine Zappone.
The report found parents in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown are paying the most for childcare, with an average cost of €233 a week for full-time care – €55 more than the national average. Some parents in the borough pay up to €308 a week.
The report also found a significant
‘Signs that costs are stabilising’
urban-rural divide – with childcare fees in big towns and cities reaching as high as €184.70, while the average fees in rural areas were €161.40.
Mr Doherty said: ‘The average cost of childcare – as outlined in today’s report – is €178 per week, or over €700 per month. In many parts of the State it is well above that – over €200 in some areas – and in my own county of Donegal, costs have risen year-on-year by €15 per week. That is ludicrous.’
Mr Coveney said the available budget for childcare had risen from €265million to €574million over four budgets, and that a report showed more families than ever were taking up childcare subsidies and supports.
‘There are signs, although they are only signs, that childcare costs are stabilising,’ said the Tánaiste.
‘The cost of full-time childcare has increased over the last year by 2% on average compared to an increase the year before of 4%. So it has halved, but we are not there yet.’
The Early Years report, published by not-for-profit organisation Pobal, is based on a survey of 3,928 childcare services. It found there are an estimated 202,600 children nationwide attending early years services – a 9% rise on last year. However, the sector has not kept pace with the demand, with the capacity only increasing 6%.
Minister Zappone said that ‘we are experiencing a period of transformative change in the early learning and care sector in Ireland’. She added: ‘Investment in childcare has grown 117% over recent budgets and these figures show that this is working.’